Upside Down
by CXC-02
Summary: Our favourite six characters all end up at college together, but with Bella dating popular guy Emmett, and Edward a shy, geeky type, how will their two worlds ever come together? Well if you read, you're sure to find out...
1. Chapter One: 'View From Under the Tree'

**EPOV**

I sat under a tree watching the way she laughed. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I had known her all my life, but she hadn't known me. We had been born at the same hospital, went to nursery and school together, and now we were at college together, but Bella Swan had never noticed me. I'd been in love with her my whole life.

Why would she notice me?

She had always been the most popular girl in school, she had loads of friends, she looked great (and had lots of money to spend on clothes and make up and manicures), and she always got attention from guys, so it was no surprise she never noticed me.

I, Edward Cullen was the most intelligent guy in school; I had won hundreds of competitions from spelling bees, to mathletes, to worldwide science fairs. I was extremely studious and had almost as much money as Bella's family did. I was tall and thin and wore thick rimmed glasses. My hair was a bronze colour and I always combed it back. My father was a doctor who always encouraged me to put school before anything else. My mom was a stay-at-home mom, and she spoiled me and my twin sister, Alice, rotten. This definitely made me a mommy's boy. Basically, Edward Cullen was a big geek, so why the hell would Bella notice me?

I watched her laughing and smiling again, but hated the source of what was making her so happy, how could she find someone so shallow and stupid so interesting and funny? Her boyfriend, Emmett, sure was lucky. He was your typical jock: tall, muscular, handsome, great hair, great teeth, and...

Unbelievably stupid.

That was the thing I didn't understand; Bella was so smart. I just didn't understand how she could be with someone like that. I could understand if it was just a college thing; if she was only in it for the sex, but Bella had been with guys like this all her life. How was she not completely bored by now?

"You're staring again," a voice said from beside me.

I came out of my trance and glanced over at my best friend, Jasper, who was seated next to me under the tree. I remembered where I was and that Jasper and I were supposed to be studying together.

I had never had many friends in school for two reasons: firstly, because no one wants to be friends with a geek, and secondly, because I didn't want to be friends with someone who I couldn't connect with on an intellectual level, and believe me, there weren't many of them at my school. It was because of this that I had been so glad to go to college and find people who had the same thoughts and ideas as I did. Jasper was in my Physics degree class, and we had clicked instantly.

"Sorry, man," I said back. "I can't help it."

"Maybe we should move somewhere else?" Jasper asked.

Bella and Emmett were sitting in the back of Emmett's big, black pick-up truck. I turned my eyes towards them and really wished I hadn't when I saw Emmett grab Bella's face and shove his tongue down her throat. It wasn't that that bothered me... well it did, but what made it worse was that Bella seemed to enjoy it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled as he started feeling her up.

"Yeah we should definitely move," Jasper said as he saw me looking disgusted at what was going on before us.

I agreed with Jasper, got up and gathered my things to walk away.

"EDWARDDDD! JASPERRR!" we heard from behind us. I knew instantly that it was my sister Alice. She always embarrassed us like this, and the thing was that she wouldn't do it if I were alone, but she had seemed to form some sort of obsession over Jasper. Every time she saw us together, she used me as an excuse to be able to talk to him.

I saw Jasper shift nervously; Alice scared the shit out of him. I imagined his high school life had been pretty much like mine (single), and Alice was a rich girl who was popular and always looked good, I bet he wondered what the hell she liked him for. And so did I to be honest. Alice wasn't stupid, she was a Cullen after all, but again, she had always been one for the tall dark handsome guys, not the small, thin, artsy types like Jasper, so seeing her following him around like a puppy dog, would be just like Bella following me around. For this reason, I wasn't against Alice liking Jasper, as it gave me some semblance of hope.

Alice finally caught up with us and gave me a big hug, and I hugged her back. I loved how different my sister and I were. She was always so happy and bouncy. I was used to it by now and could see why it scared Jasper. But after Alice hugged me, she turned to Jasper and said "hi" to him in the smallest voice I'd ever heard. Alice was not at all shy, but whenever she was around him, she was a completely different person.

"Jeez, Alice! Wait up a second. For fuck's sake!" I heard from behind us and turned to see Alice's friend, Rosie, trying to catch up with her. When she finally caught up with us, I really took her in. She was very beautiful with long blonde hair and aqua-blue eyes. She was extremely well dressed, always wearing tight jeans and pretty designer blouses with some killer screw me shoes. Looks-wise, she was completely different from Bella, who had long brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, and who always wore short skirts or dresses. Rose was also very sassy, whereas I had noticed Bella had always been quite shy with people she didn't know. But there was something about Rosie which reminded me of her. She was very intelligent, and very beautiful, and Alice had told me she'd always been popular, especially with the boys. She was also in love with Emmett, which is where I found the similarity between her and Bella. How could these beautiful, smart girls want someone like that? It was such a waste.

"Hey Rosie," I greeted her. She smiled at me enthusiastically.

Rosie was the only girl who had ever really been friends with me (again, thank God for college), and I really did enjoy spending time with her as she was someone I _could_ connect to on an intellectual level. Thankfully I got to see her quite a lot. Alice always wanted to hang out with me and Jasper (well, mainly Jasper), and she couldn't possibly come alone because that would look 'desperate'. I'd heard this from Rosie when Alice hadn't been listening. That had made me laugh.

"What were you guys gawking at?" Alice asked us.

We all immediately turned to Bella and Emmett, who were still groping each other in his truck. I looked at Rosie who suddenly looked very angry and uncomfortable; I suppose she felt the same way I did. An awkward silence fell on us, as everyone knew how everyone else was feeling. I decided to break the silence and suggest we grab something to eat which everyone seemed to think was a great idea.

As we walked away, I stole one last glance at Bella who had taken a break from Emmett, and shit, she saw me looking at her. Then Emmett saw her looking at me and he gave a death glare, which I took to mean, "Don't stare at my girl". It kind of scared the shit out of me, so I walked away to join the rest.


	2. Chapter Two: 'Afraid of Rejection'

**BPOV**

"Ohhh, Emmett, oh yeahhh!" I screamed, faking it for all I was worth. Emmett may have been huge up top, but down South, he was anything but. God only knows why I was with him; he was not exactly ... intelligent, no good in the sack and he was so shallow: all he cared about was sex, cars and football. We had absolutely nothing in common, so why was it that I was with him? Oh yeah, I remember now, he was **very **popular.

See, when my mom was in school, she was extremely clever, always did well in class, and she **enjoyed** school. Because of this, she was branded a 'geek' and a 'nerd', and had always been rejected by most of the other kids. It didn't matter that she was probably one of the prettiest girls in school, or that she had a great personality, because high school kids don't care about that. There were a few who really appreciated her, and they still remained her closest friends.

When she went to college, she found a lot more people who could appreciate her, and she was able to be herself, and be happy about it. She graduated and got a great job as a chemist working in one of the country's leading labs, where she met my father, head of the lab (and a few years older than her), Charlie Swan. So Rene and Charlie were happily married, had a child , and had great jobs; they couldn't have asked for a better life.

Aside from all of this, my mother could never let go of the way she was treated throughout school, and she wanted to prove that you could be clever and enjoy school, but be popular at the same time. And so, I did prove this for her; I was the most popular girl throughout the whole of school, yet I have done well in all my classes. I hated it though, I hated pretending that I was interested in all of this superficiality; if I'm honest, I would rather be like my mom was, getting on with my work, having a few very close friends, and not having to know everyone all the time. Being popular just wasn't really me. But I knew what my mother had been through, and I didn't want to let her down.

So I spent a lot of time living up to the image I had created for myself; going to parties, going shopping, being with guys like Emmett, even now I'm in college. If I need time to myself or to study, I'll just say I have a lecture, because if I told my 'friends', they wouldn't understand. The hardest part about being popular is having to reject those that aren't. This was especially hard when it came to Edward Cullen.

I admired Edward... no, I damn well loved him. He was so smart, so lovely, with those gorgeous green eyes, and that beautiful bronze hair (which he always gelled back, but I just wanted to run my hands through it and mess it all up). I had been in literature class with Edward throughout high school, and his insights into the books and plays we read were just wonderful. He always had a way of seeing the truth, like how Mr Darcy starts falling in love with Lizzie at Netherfield, or the irony of Ophelia' death as Hamlet speaks to Yorick's skull.

I had always admired his intelligence, and his love for knowledge, but one night changed it all. Edward's twin sister, Alice, had had a sleepover for her Sweet Sixteenth. I hadn't seen Edward all night, but had heard from Alice that he was in his room 'writing poetry or some crap', as she had put it. But when I went into the Jack and Jill bathroom to brush my teeth, and didn't lock the doors, I got the shock of my life when Edward came in through the other door, in the cutest pair of grey plaid pyjama bottoms and a tight black t-shirt, his beautiful hair all messed up, his green eyes glazed over, and a dozy look on his face as if he'd just rolled out of bed, that was when I knew that I didn't just admire him. He was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, more beautiful than any of the 'hot' jocks I had dated, than any male model or actor. I wanted to see this brilliant being everyday for the rest of my life. He quickly realised who I was and immediately fell out of his hazy state, apologizing repeatedly, and fleeing from the bathroom.

It was then that I knew I had to pretend that Edward Cullen did not exist; we were not right for each other, he couldn't act like himself around me because I had rejected him his whole life. So up until this day, I still don't even acknowledge him, and have busied myself with other things, such as Emmett. But nothing compares, and nothing can stop me thinking about him. I, Bella Swan, the most popular girl in school, had fallen for the geek, and now, he had followed me to college.


	3. Chapter Three: 'Plans'

**BPOV**

I was getting fed up; fed up of Lauren and Jessica. They were the roommates I had been assigned in my single-sex dorm. They were shallow, bitchy and completely false. But the worst thing was that they thought that I was like them. They actually believed we had things in common; that we shared the same values and morals (if they even had any). And on top of all of this, every time I brought Emmett back to our room, they would flirt madly with him!

So, I had had enough, and moved into a mixed dorm instead. To my surprise, one of my new roommates was Jasper Whitlock. My best friend, Alice, was literally in love with him; Alice had liked guys in the past, but she was obsessed with Jasper, even though he was completely not her type. Jasper was the studious sort of guy, extremely intelligent, very quiet and shy. Alice had always gone for the sporty, extravagant and cocky guys in school. So it made me wonder why she had fallen for him, but as I got talking to him after I moved in, I realized why. He was extremely cute, and his intelligence shone through when he spoke. He also seemed very sweet and considerate.

Alice had been doing everything in her power to try and get Jasper to notice her, (I bet she never thought about moving into his dorm). She had even been using her brother to try and get to him, which brings me to this: Jasper just so happened to be Edward's best friend, and according to Jasper, they spent a lot of time hanging out in this particular dorm, because Edward's was very small. This meant that I would probably be seeing a lot more of Edward.

Not that I would have really minded seeing him, in fact, I couldn't have complained at all, but I knew that the more I saw him, the more I would want him. So, I would have to spend as much time out of the dorm as possible, which generally meant spending more time with Emmett.

The next morning, as I headed to class, my phone buzzed in my bag, indicating I had a new message. I searched through my satchel, moving books and papers out of the way, until I found the source of the buzzing. The message was from Alice:

_**ISABELLA SWAN!**_

_**What is this about you moving into a certain JASPER WHITLOCK'S dorm?!**_

_**Reply ASAP!**_

_**Ali xxx**_

I replied, asking her where she had heard this. She texted me back saying; _"I have my sources"._

Jessica and Lauren.

I bet they had bitched to her as soon as I told them where I was going. I thought Alice would be mad with me, but apparently, it was the best thing I had ever done in my life. Her next few messages told me - well, ordered me - that I would be spending a lot of time in my dorm, and that she would be joining me. This seemed like a good idea to get Jasper to know her better, until I remembered that I had decided to spend as little time in my dorm as possible. I tried to discourage Alice from the idea, but it was impossible, and I couldn't tell her about my feelings for Edward, so I would just have to go along with it. After all, if at least one of us could be happy in love, then they should be.

What was even worse was that she wanted to come over _tonight_. And she didn't just want to come over; she wanted to throw a 'dorm-warming' party of sorts. This also meant that she wanted to invite friends; friends being Emmett and that blonde girl, Rosie, who really hated me. And I didn't even know if Jasper would be very happy with this, so I had to go and find him at lunch. God forbid he'd say no, Alice would not be a happy bunny.

When I found him at his and Edward's usual spot under the apple tree; he was still alone. I was very grateful for this because I wanted to put off seeing Edward for as long as possible, well, until tonight. I asked him about throwing a party, and he looked sceptical, until I threw Alice's name, and then he just looked downright scared. But he agreed none the less, and asked if he could have a friend over too. His eyes wandered away from me to something behind me. I turned to see what he was looking at and saw Edward approaching. All of a sudden I got very flustered, and told him he could bring whoever he wanted. I quickly said goodbye and scurried away, avoiding eye contact with Edward, who just stood there extremely still.

"Hey, Edward, you wanna come to a party tonight?" I heard Jasper drawl in his southern accent, but I didn't catch Edward's reply. My phone buzzed yet again in my bag; surprise, surprise: another message from Alice.

_**Bella,**_

_**So, you spoke to Jazzy? What'd he say?**_

_**Ali xxx**_

I replied back:

_**Jazzy? Pet name?**_

_**And how do you know I spoke to him?**_

_**Are you having me watched?!**_

_**Bella xxx**_

I was plain creeped out when she replied _"No, I'm not having you watched, __**I**__ am watching you."_

That girl had serious issues. But I told her the good news, and I was sure I heard the distinctive sound of her squeal coming from somewhere nearby. She must have been hiding behind a tree, or something equally as stalker-ish. I wouldn't have put it past he; that 'Jazzy' sure did mess with her head.

Okay, so my 'dorm-warming' party was tonight. Alice would be all over Jasper. Jasper would be scared as hell. Emmett would be all over me, and Edward would be there, seeing it all. Not to mention that Rosie girl and him were good friends, I had heard.

What if they were together? How would I handle it?

All I knew was that it was going to be **awkward**.


	4. Chapter Four: 'DormWarming'

**EPOV**

This was the most awkward party I had ever been to. Well, I hadn't exactly been to many parties in my lifetime, unless you counted being in the house when Alice had a sleepover. But this was just awful.

When Jasper first told me Bella had moved into his dorm, I didn't believe him. But then I saw them talking under the tree, and realized it must have been true; why else would she be talking to _him_? I was ecstatic when I heard she'd allowed me to come to her party; I would get to spend time with her and get to know her! I had not been expecting this.

It was a disaster; Alice was making a fool of herself going gaga over Jasper. She would not leave him alone. She just kept talking and talking _at_ him, and I could see he was getting completely fed up of her. Alice hadn't even noticed he wasn't paying attention to her, until he got up whilst she was mid-sentence to talk to Bella. I thought Alice might cry, and even though I knew how annoying she could be, she was still my sister, and so this really pissed me off.

As far as getting to know Bella, that didn't exactly go to plan. Nobody had mentioned to me that Bella's _boyfriend_, Emmett, had been invited. I had thought Alice was bad over Jasper, but this was much worse; Emmett didn't want to _talk_ to Bella. He was all over her like a rash, and a bad one at that. I could tell she was glad for a break from him when Jasper went to talk to her, although this didn't stop Emmett.

Meanwhile, Rosie and I had been sitting in a corner, trying to keep out of this disaster. Both of us were getting very uncomfortable at Emmett's PDA towards Bella, and nobody noticed when we escaped out of the living room to find some peace and quiet.

**APOV**

I couldn't understand what Jasper's problem was. I was popular, I was pretty, and I had a great taste in fashion, so why didn't he like me? He didn't even seem attracted to me. Why was I attracted to him? He wasn't exactly my type. My type was more... Emmett: big, strong and very good looking. There was just something about Jasper that made me _want_ him so badly. It was like there was something hiding under those glasses, under that checked shirt tucked into his pants, under that perfectly combed back brown hair of his. It was almost as if that weren't the real Jasper; just a disguise.

I could tell he wasn't really listening to me; maybe the subject was boring him, so I changed it. But when he got up and just walked away, that was downright rude. And so he left and went to talk to Bella. I could see Emmett wasn't too happy about this, as Jasper was interrupting their... "moment" - but Bella and Jasper didn't seem to notice too much, and went on laughing and talking like they were old friends.

Oh... oh!

Realisation dawned on me. Maybe Jasper liked Bella. Maybe she liked him. She didn't want me to throw her a party tonight, she just wanted to stay in, and she definitely didn't want Emmett coming over. It made sense now. I felt tears start to well in my eyes. All this hard work just for one man and Bella could pick him up this easily? It had always been this way, and I was fed up of it. I moved out of the dorm and into the corridor before I started to really cry. Nobody noticed me leave.

As I wiped away the last of my tears, I pulled out my compact and started to freshen up my mascara. I heard the door open and tried to compose myself, in case it was Jasper looking for me. But the voice I heard was not Jasper's. The voice wasn't speaking to me; more to itself. I wasn't sure if the person the voice came from had even seen me.

"I can't believe my own girlfriend would rather spend time talking to a loser like him, than in bed with me..." the voice muttered. I turned around to see Emmett, and I think I startled him slightly. "Oh, Alice, hey," he said. "You had enough too?" I nodded, and as I lowered my head, I noticed he had stolen one of the crates of beer I had bought for the party.

"Hey, I bought those crates, you know!" I said, but it came out slightly jokey. I wasn't sure if that's how I intended it to come out.

"Oh really?" he replied. I nodded. "Then you won't mind helping me drink them?" he smirked. I agreed. It would be nice to spend time with a guy where I didn't have to put all of my effort in just to get a second glance from him. So we headed back to my dorm.

When we got there, it was empty, but it was a Friday night, so my roommates would probably be in a bar somewhere near campus. We cracked open the cans and drank, and drank, until we were a pair of giggling messes on the floor. Emmett was so much fun; I couldn't understand why Bella always moaned about him.

Bella...

I was still pissed off at her. She knew how much I liked Jasper, and she was all flirty-flirty with him. As Emmett and I pulled ourselves off the ground, I stumbled and nearly fell back down again, but he caught me. He held me in his grip, and I grasped his biceps to steady myself. He was so big and muscular... and I was ever so slightly inebriated.

And then it happened.

He bent down and kissed me, and I didn't push him away. The only thoughts that went through my mind were that, if Bella could take my man, I could take hers and that I liked the way Emmett manhandled me as he picked me up carried me through to the bedroom and slammed me down on the bed...

**EPOV**

It was nice to escape from the madness outside. Me and Rosie just sat and talked; talked about films, books, music. I found out we actually had things in common, for example, we both loved British comedies.

"Listen very carefully, I shall say zis, only vonce!" Rosie said in her sexiest French accent, quoting from "_'Allo 'Allo_ ".

I retorted with, "Well, in that case, could you please speak slowly?" And we both burst into a fit of giggles like we were a pair of teenagers.

"How long have you been in love with her?" Rosie asked, suddenly getting serious.

"In love... with whom? I don't know, I, you must be mistaken." I fumbled with my words.

"With Bella?" she asked, and I blushed like a twelve year old whose friends have told a girl he has a crush on her.

"How long have you been in love with Emmett?" I retorted, rather snidely. She looked hurt and I apologised. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. You know what it's like though; a bit of a sore subject because I know nothing will ever happen."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"Because I've known her since I was four years old, and it's always been the same. She doesn't even notice me."

She looked at me, not sympathetically, but empathetically. "Have you ever had a girlfriend, Edward?" she asked, and I shook my head no, looking down at my hands which I was fiddling with in my lap. "Ever kissed a girl?" I shook my head no again. "Edward, if you've accepted you can never have Bella, then you can't make yourself wait for her forever."

She was right. One day I would have to meet someone, and get married, and have children. I realized then.

I had to let Bella go.

I had to stop mooning over her and move on, otherwise I wouldn't be happy. And college was the best place to start, because I was near to her and so I would really know when I was over her.

I looked at Rosie, and I was sure she was thinking the same think about Emmett.

"Rosie?" I asked. "Would you like to kiss me? I know I'm inexperienced and everything..." I was starting to ramble now, but she grabbed me face and pulled it towards her and very softly, our lips touched. We both smiled and closed our eyes. The second time we kissed wasn't as gentle, but it was just as nice. Her lips were warm and soft as she parted them slightly. I knew what this meant, and so I gently slipped my tongue in where it met hers. We were just starting to really get into the kiss when the door opened, and we jumped apart.

Standing in the doorway was Bella.

Oh no! Bella... what had I done. But then I remembered what I had just promised myself. Bella had just seen me kissing Rosie, and this was the first step to me getting over her.


	5. Chapter Five: 'Pain'

**BPOV**

Edward was kissing Rosie.

He was actually kissing her, tongue and all. They had their arms wrapped around each other and their eyes were closed. Their embrace looked really... intimate.

They must have heard me come in the door because they both looked up at me. I looked at Edward; I stared him right in the eyes. At first he had looked shocked and appalled at his behaviour, and for some reason, that made me happy. But then that look changed. I couldn't quite figure out what it had changed to. Anger? Hurt? Determination?

I decided I couldn't just stand there gawking at them forever or I would probably burst into tears.

"Sorry, guys," I said, trying to keep things cool. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"No, don't worry about it!" Rosie beamed. She sounded a little _too_ cheerful. "I think we should be getting out of here now anyway, don't you, Edward?"

Get out of here? Where to? I dreaded the thought of them leaving together and going back to her room. I shuddered which brought me back down to reality. Edward had obviously replied, because the two of them were getting up and leaving. They were holding hands.

I listened as they said their goodbyes to Jasper, who was in the kitchen cleaning up. Jasper then came in to tell me that he was going for a bit of a walk. I waited until I had heard him leave to let the tears flow.

The hot, fat droplets streamed down my face. They were tears of hurt and anger: I was hurt at the fact Edward was with somebody else, I was angry at myself for letting him slip away before I had even had him.

I didn't even bother to get ready for bed. Instead, I crawled under the covers wearing my black skinny jeans, my grey blazer and what was left of my make-up. As I lay in bed, I thought to myself in the darkness.

Edward was an opportunity that _I_ had missed. I could have admitted my feelings to him at any point over the last four years, but I chose not to. But why did I choose not to? Was it to save face? Edward was the King Geek while I was Queen Bee, after all. But surely the happiness that I could get from a relationship with Edward would oust any hard feelings from others?

I was in love with this man! Of course it would!

Maybe I wasn't too late. I didn't think him and Rosie had actually been seeing each other. But what was I supposed to do, knock down his door and confess my love to him? No...

Alice! She would know what to do.

I jumped out of bed and tried my best to sort out the mess that was my mascara. I threw on the pair of black patent heels I had been wearing (courtesy of Topshop) and ran out of the room. Alice had left a while ago, so I assumed she'd gone back to her own room to cry over Jasper...

The same way I had cried over Edward.

I knocked on her door and was answered by one of her roommates.

"Is Alice in?" I asked.

"I've been out for most of the night, but I think I heard noise from her room," was the reply I received.

I rushed to her door and pushed it open without knocking.

"Alice! I wanted to..." I started to say.

But Alice was otherwise engaged, with a man between her legs. Their panting ceased and their breathing slowed as they realised someone had entered the room.

And then I realised it wasn't just any man between her legs.

"Emmett?" I asked, sounding as shocked as I felt.

"Bella, this is not what it looks like!" they both started shouting at me at the same time.

I heard Alice moan as Emmett pulled out of her. And then I snapped. I went out to Alice and slapped her around the face. I didn't care about Emmett, only Alice. I had come here to tell my best friend the secret I had been keeping to myself for years, and she was fucking my boyfriend?

"How dare you, Alice?" I screamed at her. "How could you do this? I am your best friend!"

"Whoa, Bella, baby, calm down." Emmett was trying to restrain me.

"Do not touch me, Emmett. I am not your baby," I said through gritted teeth.

Alice had started to cry. What did she want from me? Sympathy? Well she certainly wasn't going to get it. I shrugged Emmett off of me and looked at Alice with disgust as I left the room. Emmett called out to me as I left, but I ignored him.

I rushed back to my dorm and slammed the door behind before I burst into tears for the second time that night. I was _not_ having a good day.

As I sunk to the floor, I felt a warm pair of arms embrace me. I looked up through my tear-filled eyes to see Jasper. He couldn't have been walking for long. I moved closer into Jasper's embrace and just let him hug me as the tears came pouring out.

We sat in silence (apart from the noise of my crying) for a while. As my tears began to dry out, I tried to explain to Jasper what had happened.

"Alice slept with Emmett," I said as I tried to control my breathing.

"She slept with him?" Jasper sounded hurt and shocked.

I nodded in reply.

I told him what had happened, except for why I had been going to see her. He listened to everything I said and told me I should go to bed; it had been a long day. I took his advice and this time, I removed my make-up and changed into a pair of flannel pyjamas before I crawled under the sheets.

All the night's drinking, crying, and running around had really tired me out and I slipped easily into a heavy sleep. That night, my dreams were haunted by two images: Edward kissing Rosie and Alice in bed with Emmett.


	6. Chapter Six: 'Dreams'

**EPOV**

Last night had been one of the best nights of my life. I had shared my first kiss with Rosie and then we had escaped the Hell that was Bella's party to the confines of a run-down coffee shop named _Marco's, _which was just off campus. We had stayed there all night, just talking and laughing, until Marco had kicked us out at 2 a.m.

After we left the shop, we had wandered around for a while, walking through a couple of parks and then heading back to campus. I was just walking aimlessly, so absorbed in my conversation with Rosie, that I hadn't even noticed she had led me to the door to her dorm.

We stopped outside the door. I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I wasn't sure what I _wanted_ to happen. If she had invited me in, I probably would have said yes. If she had wanted to kiss more, I would have agreed to that, too. But if she'd wanted to take things further... well, I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about that.

Why was I even thinking about this? We had only shared one kiss and Rosie wasn't that kind of girl. Furthermore, I didn't think I was quite ready to lose my virginity just yet. I snapped out of my reverie as a huge yawn took over me and I stretched my arms up over my head.

"Well, someone's a little bit tired, aren't they?" Rosie asked me. I suppose it is quarter to three in the morning." She giggled.

"Yeah, I had completely lost track of time. I had a really good night," I told her.

"Me, too," she said as she stifled a yawn herself. "Well, I think we should both be getting to bed, don't you? Thank you for walking me home, Edward."

"You're welcome." I bent down, shyly, and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "Goodnight, Rosie."

"Goodnight, Edward" she replied as she made her way through her door.

I lingered there for a few seconds before making my way back to my own room.

I crawled into my bed and closed my eyes. I found it hard to fall asleep at first; I wasn't sure if this was because of all the coffee I drank or just from the eventful evening I had, but eventually I drifted off to sleep...

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Someone was trailing soft kisses down my neck and chest. I couldn't see anything, but I could feel the warm touch of a woman; her soft skin; her luxurious hair. I could her breathing and softly saying my name. I eventually opened my eyes to see a mass of long, brown hair and big, wide eyes of the same colour.

"Edward," she called out to me softly. "Edward..."

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"Edward! Dude!" I woke to my roommate, Kevin, shouting at me.

"Bella? Where's Bella..." I mumbled incoherently, still half asleep.

"Look, dude, I don't know about anyone called _Bella_, but your friend Jasper is here. He's in the kitchen making coffee for you, so you should probably get dressed. Anyway, I'm going down to the beach to catch some waves. I'll see you later." And with that, he left the room.

Coffee... That was the last thing I needed after my strange dreams. Dreams...

Oh, God!

I had been dreaming about Bella. This wasn't something new, but my dreams had never been this vivid. And after the night I had spent with Rosie, I would have thought the dreams would start to fade, not come back full-force. I didn't know what I was going to do about Rosie. I really liked her, and I was sure she liked me too; she wouldn't have initiated our kiss if she didn't.

I thought back to the conversation we had in the bedroom last night. Rosie knew how I felt about Bella, and I knew how she felt about Emmett. I'm positive that both of us knew that you can't just get over someone in the blink of an eye; that you need time and motivation. But that was the reason we had kissed: we were each other's motivation.

As for the dream, I must have been getting over Bella, because how could I have even considered kissing another girl if I wasn't. The dream must have been down to all that coffee and the excitement of last night. Speaking of coffee, I was brought out of yet another reverie and remembered that Jasper was waiting for me in the kitchen. I got out of bed, pulled on some pants, and headed to meet him.

"Mornin', sunshine," Jasper drawled in his southern accent. "I've just made myself a cup o' coffee, you want one?" He pointed towards the Espresso machine.

"Uhh, I think I'll stick with a decaf..." I mumbled.

He nodded, a hint of a smirk on his face, and switched the machine back on.

"So, where did you and Rosie get to last night?" he asked me, and now I was sure he was _definitely_ smirking.

"Uhh, nowhere, really. We just went for coffee and then to bed... I mean, to our own, separate beds! Not together or anything!"

Jasper chuckled at my slip up.

"Oh, right... Well things went quiet after you left. Alice had already gone, so had Emmett. It was just me and Bella left and she seemed like she wanted to be alone, so I went for a walk." I was grateful for his change of subject. He continued, "But when I got back from my walk, I found Bella crying."

"Crying?" I asked, sounding confused, and a little more concerned than I should've been.

"Yeah, I asked her what was wrong, and apparently Emmett cheated on her," he stated.

I choked on the coffee Jasper had just handed me. "Cheated? God, do you know who with?"

Jasper got shifty and mumbled something I couldn't quite make out.

"Jasper, what's wrong?" I asked him, concerned at his behaviour. Jasper gave me a funny look; embarrassment, shame? I couldn't make it out. "Jasper, tell me," I practically ordered. Who could it have been? An image of Rosie flashed through my head; I knew she loved him, but it couldn't have been her; she was with me all night...

"Alice, it was Alice!" he blurted out.

This time I spat my coffee back into my cup.

"Alice?!" I exclaimed, genuinely confused. "Are you sure? She's Bella's best friend! She's in love with you!" I stopped short as I realized what I had said, and as Jasper flinched.

"Yeah..." Jasper trailed off. "Bella went to her dorm and found them in bed together."

I mulled this over in my head. I was still confused about how Alice could do this to her _best friend_. And I was confused about how I should feel towards Bella; if I should feel anything at all. I hated the thought of her being upset, but she was upset because of her _boyfriend_. I wanted to comfort her, but it wasn't my place. It had never been my place.

I looked towards Jasper, who looked like he was mulling it over in his head, too. We both needed to get out.

"Hey, Jas, Kevin said he was heading to the beach. It looks like a nice day; you wanna head down and play some volley ball?" I asked him

"Yeah, sure. Why not? Why don't you get showered and I'll go and get my stuff? I'll meet you back here in twenty minutes and we'll walk down," he replied, sounding a little more enthusiastic than the last time he spoke.

"Sounds good," I said. Jasper left to go back to his dorm and I headed into the shower.

I turned the shower on and let the hot water pound down on my body. I felt my muscles start to relax and realized I had tensed up when Jasper told me about Bella. I thought about the day ahead; we would go to the beach and play some ball, grab a few beers and something to eat, and we would probably bump into Rosie (she liked to go surfing on a Saturday as well as Kevin).

But what if Jasper invited Bella? He probably would to be nice, considering what she had been through. I didn't know how I would act around her. But then again, she might not accept an off if she was too upset. I mulled over it again until the shower went cold and I snapped back to reality.

I would just have to wait and see what happened today...


	7. Chapter Seven: 'Beaches'

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. It all belongs to S. Meyer.**

**Also, readers, will you please head over to my profile and do my poll for this story, before it becomes too late, as it is about parings, and I need to know whether I should continue the way I'm going or whether I should change tracks! Thanks.**

**BPOV**

When I awoke the next morning, the dorm was completely empty. I pulled back the covers and remembered that I was still wearing my clothes from last night, and my face was covered in day-old make-up. I felt like crap. I decided to hop in the shower and clean myself up before anyone got back and wanted the hot water.

I got in the shower and turned on the water, letting it cascade through my hair and down my body. I began to relax as the water pounded against my tense muscles, not wanting to think about last night's events.

I jumped out, wrapped a towel around my body, and used another one to dry my hair. I thought about what I was going to for the rest of the day. I didn't really want to stay at home because Alice or Emmett were bound to come looking for me so they could apologise, which was something that I really didn't want to hear.

I debated on where to go. I could've gone to library to do some study, but I was already ahead of where I needed to be. And besides, it was a beautiful day, not to be wasted by being cooped up indoors. No, I needed to get out and get some fresh air. I whittled down my choices to the beach and to the park, but eventually decided on the former.

The beach was the last place people would expect to find me. I hated lazing around in the sun, and would usually choose to sit in the park with a coffee and a good book, but I didn't want people to find me. Besides, maybe getting a bit of sun would do me some good.

I didn't bother drying my hair, deciding that the sun would dry it as soon as I walked out of the door. I went back to my bed and opened the suitcase that sat at the bottom of it (I still hadn't finished unpacking). I dug around in the case until I found a two-piece bathing suit. The one I picked was one my mom had bought for me the previous year, and I had never gotten around to wearing it. It was a simple enough design: your average bra and panty set, but the pattern was a mash up of lavish pinks and purples, which my Mom had told me would really make the color of my eyes and hair stand out.

I slipped into the bikini and turned to look in the mirror. It didn't look that bad on me, in fact, I looked quite good, but my skin could've been a little browner. I dug around in the suitcase again, this time pulling out a white, camisole dress to wear over my bikini and some flip flops. I put them on and looked at myself once again. The dress came to my mid-thigh, and again, it would have looked great if my legs hadn't been so pale. I grabbed a carry-all bag, which I had also used for packing, went back into the bathroom, and shoved a towel and sun lotion inside it.

I went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of juice and some snacks, shoving them in the bag along with the towel. I nearly left the house without grabbing some sunglasses, but remembered just in time. And with that, I was out the door and on my way down to the beach.

When I got there, it was full of people. Well, at least I could blend in with the crowd and keep to myself. I picked a spot in the bottom corner of the beach, shaded by some trees, and laid by towel down. I took my camisole off, sat down on the towel, and started rubbing my lotion on. Then I laid down, and started to relax. The sun was so warm on my skin, and after only ten minutes of lying there, I began to feel drowsy...

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"Hey, hey! Wake up!" A voice startled me from my sleep... Damn, I had fallen asleep on the beach?

"What's going on?" I asked, my eyes still not fully open.

"The tide is coming in, and you were sleeping a little close to the water," he said. I opened my eyes to see a tall, broad figure leaning over me, but I couldn't quite make him out, because it was so dark... Dark? Oh, wait, I still had my sunglasses on.

I took them off to reveal a handsome, tanned looking boy, who looked younger than me. He had dark hair and was wearing a wetsuit (for surfing, I presumed), from which he had removed the sleeves, and now the top part was hanging at his waist, revealing his toned, muscled torso.

"Do you want me to help you move further up the beach?" he asked me. I could only nod in reply, transfixed on his muscles as they flexed when he picked up my bag.

I snapped out of my reverie and picked up my towel, following him to another shaded spot further up the beach. I placed my towel down again, and he put my bag on top of it. I reached into the bag to grab my juice (I had become very thirsty in the past few minutes), and then sat down on the towel.

Once I had taken a swig from my bottle, I looked up to the guy to thank him.

"Don't worry about it," he said in reply. "I'm sure you'd rather have been woken up by a handsome stranger than by the water."

"Cocky, much?" I scoffed.

He chuckled and then plonked himself down beside me on the towel, holding out his hand for me to shake.

"I'm Jacob, and you don't look like you come here very often," he said, noticing my pale skin.

"Umm, no, I don't," I admitted. "I just moved here from Washington a few months ago. I go to the college down the road."

"And you moved to Oregon?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Well, yes. Washington was just too wet and dull, and the beaches never looked like this," I said, motioning to the masses of people still there. I continued, "I wanted to get out of Washington, but my parents didn't want me to go too far, so I figured the next state would be okay. Also, I had some friends that were coming here, so I thought it would be great to stay with them." My mind drifted to Alice.

"Ah, I see..." he mused.

"So, are you a local?" Now it was my turn to question him.

"I sure as hell am!" He laughed. "I'm in my senior year of high school, which means there's a bit of an age gap between us, but I don't mind older women," he said, with the cheekiest of grins on his face.

I gasped at how bold he was and shoved him playfully. "So, do you surf?" I asked, motioning to his wetsuit.

"I sure do! Surfing is my passion; I come down everyday just to catch the waves. I'm here with a couple of my friends today." He pointed to a group of boys who were the same build as his, had the same, dark hair and who had equally tanned and toned physiques.

"Wow, everyday?" I asked. "And here's me, who just came down to get a tan and have a little snooze..." I feigned self pity.

"Would you like to go for a swim?" he asked. I pondered for a few seconds.

_Would I like to go for a swim, with this tall, dark and handsome stranger?_ Yes, was the answer.

I agreed, and he assured me that I could leave my stuff where it was, and it would still be safe. And with that, we made our way down into the water.

It was a lot warmer than I had expected it to be. I wasn't used to beaches like this. It always rained at La Push, and the water was always too cold to swim in. We didn't drift too far out, just far enough that we could still paddle without having to swim properly.

"You know, I never caught your name," Jacob told me.

"Oh, no! I am so rude, forgive me. My name is Isabella Swan, but you can call me Bella," I replied.

"So, Bella," he started, a cheeky grin on his face, again. "What are you studying at college?"

"Umm, English Literature," I replied, his question surprising me. "Do you want to go to college?"

"I'm not sure," he told me. "Maybe, as long as I can keep up my surfing." I smiled at him. Surfing really must have been something he loved.

We stayed in the water for a while, just talking and occasionally swimming to a different spot.

"We shouldn't stay in for too long," Jacob told me after a while. "Your skin will burn easier under the water, and it doesn't look like it's used to too much sun, so that could make it even worse.

With that, we swam back to the beach and dried ourselves off.

"You should probably put on some more sun lotion," he said, smirking. I knew what he was thinking.

"So should you," I replied, also smirking. Two could play at this game.

"Well, if you rub my back, I'll rub yours. Or so to speak." He was grinning a widely.

He was so cocky! So cheeky! And yet, at the same time, charming. I grabbed the lotion out of my bag and squirted it onto his back. It must have been cold, because he flinched. I giggled at this. I turned to look at him and he had an evil glint in his eye.

"Oh, no!" I yelped.

"Oh, yes!" he replied, and grabbed the bottle from my hand.

I tried to get up and run away, but he was just too quick for me. He grabbed my waist and pulled my back down on the towel, squirting the cold cream all over my back. I squealed and giggled and shivered all at the same time.

Eventually, the cold sensation wore off, and Jacob rubbed the lotion in. I took the bottle from him and covered my arms, legs, and torso by myself. Jacob looked at me expectantly, and I realised that he was waiting for me to rub some onto his back, so I did.

As I was rubbing it in, he asked, "So, Bella, am I gonna' get your number?"

I grinned from behind him. "Maybe," I replied. I had finished with his back and he turned round to face me.

"Just maybe?" He chuckled.

"If you give me yours first." I giggled, suddenly feeling a boost of confidence.

Without another word, I got up and started to dress myself, repacking my bag as I went.

"Are you going somewhere?" he asked, confused.

"Home," I told him. "Now, are you going to give me your number, or what? I can't call you if you don't."

He looked adorable as he fumbled about, looking for something to write on. I pulled out an old pencil and a napkin from my bag, handing it to him. He wrote down his number and handed them back to me. I purposely shoved them straight in my bag, trying to feign disinterest.

"See you later, Jacob," I said, walking away.

"Bye..." he called after me, and I grinned to myself as I walked up the beach towards campus.

***************

I was still grinning when I got back to my dorm. Today had been great and I had forgotten how much fun harmless flirting could be. But my grin didn't last long, as I walked through the door and found Alice, sitting in my kitchen.

"Bella!" she shouted. "I have been looking for you all day, have you been to the... beach?" she asked, obviously surprised.

"Yes, I have," I replied sternly. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you about last night, about me and Emmett..." Her voice had become quiet.

I looked at her face, and her eyes were full of sadness. Her breathing had become ragged, and she suddenly burst into tears. I didn't know what to do. She was my best friend, and I wanted to comfort her, but after what she had done to me, I didn't know if I could.

I grabbed a tissue from a nearby box and handed it to her, waiting for her sobs to subside.

When they finally had, I said, "Okay, Alice. Talk."

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	8. Chapter Eight: 'Sands and Shores'

**Hey, this chapter has taken a while, but it's finally here! Hope you enjoy!**

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**EPOV**

It was a beautiful day at the beach. The sun was shining and the wind was warm. Jasper and me had ridden down in his jeep, and now we were setting up the net for volley ball. We tied the net to the posts and got ready to play; me on one side, Jasper on the other. We casually volleyed the ball between us for a while, just having some fun. We weren't putting much effort into our game, so we were still able to talk.

"Man, I still can't believe Alice would do something like that," I said as I served the ball.

Jasper, who suddenly looked frustrated and confused, smashed the ball back at me with great force and asked, "Has she done this sort of thing before?"

The ball caught me off guard, and I dove into the sand, just catching it with the heel of my hand and sending it back into the air I didn't need to ask Jasper what had made him hit the ball so hard, I already knew: the mention of Alice.

"No," I replied, regaining my balance. "Which is why it shocked me so much. Alice and Bella have been friends _forever._ I've never even seen them fighting over a boy like most girls do. And Alice is not at all malicious or backstabbing. I don't even think they were fighting."

"So you don't..."Jasper thrust the ball into the air, "think it has anything to do with Bella?"

"I doubt it," I told him. "Alice had been drinking last night, and she was... upset. For all we know, that Emmett guy could have taken advantage of her."

"A little biased, are we?" Jasper asked with a mocking grin on his face. But the grin didn't stay there for long. He was still frustrated, I could tell. I caught the ball in my hands and threw it down into the sand. We had had enough ball for now.

We trudged through the sand over to where our cool box and towels were. I sat down and cracked open a beer. Jasper sat down next to me and did the same.

"I think we really need to get Alice's side of the story before we start judging her," I told him.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Jasper sighed, resigned. "Maybe... maybe you should call her and invite her down."

"That's a good idea, Jazz," I said, taking out my cell phone. "I might just do that." I flipped open the phone and speed-dialled Alice's number.

"_Edward?"_ she answered. _"What's up?"_

"Uhh, nothing much," I told her. "I'm just at the beach, I wondered if you wanted to come down and meet me?"

"_Oh, Edward. I'm not really in a great mood, if I'm honest,"_ she whined.

"Alice, I know about last night. I just want you to know that you can talk to me if you want."

"_Oh... okay. Is Jasper with you?"_ she asked.

I looked towards Jasper who was looking intently at the phone, straining to hear what Alice was saying.

"Yes, he is. But that doesn't matter; we can go for a swim and talk privately, if you want." I knew it wasn't talking about her sex life in front of Jasper that bothered her; it was the shame of seeing him, knowing what she had done the night before.

"_Okay, Edward. I'll be there in half an hour."_ I heard her huffing, but I knew that she wanted to talk.

"Alright, see you then." We said our goodbyes, and I snapped the phone shut.

"She's coming?" Jasper asked. I nodded in reply.

Whilst we waited for Alice, Jasper and I drank a few more beers and started chatting casually.

"So, what's happening with you and Rosie, then?" Jasper suddenly changed the subject.

"I'm not sure," I told him truthfully. "Like I said, we went for coffee and we kissed - " I was interrupted.

"Whoa, what? You never said anything about kissing, just coffee and bed," said Jasper. "So, when did you kiss, after you went for coffee?"

"Um, more like before we left the party," I told him, looking downwards.

"Edward, you are a fast mover!" he joked.

I laughed and then continued with what I was saying. "Well, we kissed, we had coffee, we talked, we kissed some more, and then I walked her home."

"Did she invite you in?" he asked.

"No, it was late, and to be honest, I don't think either of us wanted to move that fast," I told him truthfully.

Just then, I saw a pair of feet with neatly polished toenails, in rhinestone covered flip-flops, approach us. I looked up to see Alice standing in front of us, dressed like she was ready to go to some celebrity hot-spot beach. _Well, she never could skip the glamour, no matter how upset she was._

"Hi," I greeted her, standing up to hug her. As I did so, I noticed that Jasper was staring at her toned, bikini-clad body. I subtly kicked sand in his face.

"Hey," she answered back, and now I noticed that she was looking at Jasper, too, somewhat shyly.

Jasper looked angry and frustrated again, and then got up, saying, "I'll go get us all some hot dogs."

After Jasper had gone, Alice crashed to the ground, dragging me with her.

"Oh, he hates me, doesn't he?" she asked.

"No, no!" I reassured her. "Quite the opposite, if you ask me."

"What?" she asked, shocked. "What on earth do you mean?"

"Alice, I think Jasper really likes you. He hasn't told me, but I'm a guy and I can tell."

"Edward, if Jasper liked me, he would talk to me when I talk to him. He would be nice and want to spend time with me. He does none of the above." She moaned.

"Look, Alice, what you have to understand with Jasper is that he's just like me. He's never had much experience with girls. He's highly intelligent and was never popular at school, and then you, popular, glamorous Alice, come along, and you can be quite high maintenance. You treat him the way you've treated every other guy you've tried it on with. You act like you're stupid and like you don't know anything about anything, when you really do. But Jasper is nothing like the guys you've gone for in the past, and that isn't gonna' work with him," I told her.

"Okay..." she said, resigned. "But he is obviously pissed off at me for sleeping with Emmett..."

"Yes, about that..." I ventured. "Do you want to talk?"

"Okay, but promise you won't get mad at me," she said.

"I promise," I told her, although where Bella was concerned, I couldn't be too sure.

"Well, I don't know if you noticed, but Jasper wasn't paying me any attention," she said. I nodded in response and let her continue. "And I had been drinking, _a lot, _so I got more upset than I normally would have done. Then Jasper just got up and walked away from me while I was mid-sentence and went over to talk to Bella. Let's just say, I got a little more upset, and a little jealous, and I ran out of the room. Not that anyone noticed. I was crying in the hallway for a while and Emmett came out. He was just nice to me and we said we'd go watch a movie or something. When we got back to my room, it just happened."

"Did he pressure you?" I asked.

"No, like I said, it just happened. I was drunk, so was he. We were both pissed off, and at the time, it seemed like a great thing to do. It was only when Bella walked in that I remembered who I was and who he was..." she trailed off, tears welling in her eyes and threatening to fall.

Just then, Jasper came back with three hot dogs in his hands. He handed one to me and one to Alice.

"Thanks," we said in unison, although Alice's response was not as enthusiastic as mine. She chanced a weak smile up at Jasper, and to my surprise, and evidently to hers, he smiled back at her and sat down on the towels next to us.

I turned back to Alice. "What are you going to do?" I asked her.

"I'm not sure. What do you think?" she replied.

"Maybe you should go and see her," I told her. "Just explain to her what happened, like you did with me."

She winced. "Edward, she hates me! She slapped me in the face. She definitely hates me and she's not going to want to listen."

Jasper intervened. "Alice, you and Bella have been best friends for years, surely that has to count for something? Maybe you should just try."

"You're right." She nodded. "Yes, I should go and see her." She got up to leave. "Wait though, what if she's not in the room? She's not the type of person to mope around at home; she'll bein some park somewhere, reading a book."

"How about I give you my room key," said Jasper. "And then if she's not there, you can just wait until she, or I, come back."

"Thanks, Jasper! You are great," she said, taking the keys from his hands.

With that, she said her goodbyes. Jasper and I restarted our game of volley ball, although there was no talking this time.

After a while of playing, something on the other side of the beach caught my eye. A tall, lean girl with long brown hair was just coming out of the sea. It was Bella. For a minute, I thought about running over to her to see how she was, but something stopped me from doing this. Following Bella up the beach was a muscled, tanned guy with dark hair. They were together. _It obviously didn't take her long to get over Emmett,_ I thought.

Just then, I realized too late that Jasper had thrown a ball towards me, although I had been staring Bella, so I completely missed it when I dived for it, and crashed into the sand.

"You okay, man?" Jasper asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied. "You know, I think I'm going to call Rosie, see if she wants to go out for dinner tonight."

"Dinner? That's fancy," Jasper teased. I shrugged it off and walked away.

I got my phone out again and this time, dialled Rosie's number.

"Edward, how're you?" she questioned.

"Rosie, I'm great thanks. How about you?"

"Not too bad! So, what's up?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner tonight," I told her.

"Dinner? That sounds great! Where are you taking me?"

Crap! Where was I taking her? I fumbled around for a few seconds, and then spotted a nice-looking grill restaurant called the South Beach Grill that I had heard about in the past.

"Um, there's a nice grill on the beach. How about there?" I asked, hoping she wouldn't think it tacky.

"The South Beach Grill?"

"Yes, that's the one. You know it?"

"Yes! Edward, it's my favourite. Pick me up at seven?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," I told her.

With that, we said our goodbyes. Jasper and I packed our things away, as it was getting quite late, and I wanted to get showered again before I went to pick Rosie up. Jasper drove me back in his jeep and teased me about Rosie the whole length of the ride.

But even through all of Jasper's teasing, I knew that tonight was going to be a good night.

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	9. Chapter Nine: 'Forgivness'

**Guys it has been a while and I am so sorry! But here it (finally) is!**

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****BPOV**

I couldn't believe that Alice had the nerve to let herself into my dorm, expecting me to talk to her after what she had done.

"I can't believe you were at the beach! I mean, the beach! You never go to the beach," she said, smiling, obviously oblivious to the fact that I was not in a chatty mood.

She continued, "And the funny thing is, I was only there, like, half an hour ago. You know, we were probably there at the same-"

"What do you want, Alice?" I cut her short.

"I already told you, I want to explain what happened last night." She looked startled at my coldness.

"Well, explain then, instead of making stupid small talk about the beach." My words were harsh.

She beckoned me to sit down next to her. At first, I was hesitant, not wanting to do as she said in case it gave the impression that I was happy about her being here, but then I remembered that this was Alice, and that she could talk for hours at a time if she wanted to, so we would probably be here for a while.

"Look," she began, "last night, I was drunk and very upset. Jasper kept cutting me off and, well, I love him. He really hurt me. The alcohol only made it worse for me and I saw you and Jasper looking cosy and happy, you know? He was actually giving you the time of day, when he wouldn't even look at me. Yes, I was jealous and upset, so I stormed out, and no one even noticed. And then Emmett came out into the hallway, where I was crying, and we were just going to go and watch some TV and have a few beers, but those beers went straight to my head and Emmett was there, when no one else was..." she trailed off, the tears that were beginning to well in her eyes threatening to fall.

I wanted to hate Alice, I really did, but after what she had just told me, hating her would make me a hypocrite. She was in love with someone she couldn't have, so she had tried to replace him with someone else, the exact same thing that I had done with Edward. But she had still slept with my boyfriend, and I was still pissed off at her.

"Look, Alice, I understand why you did what you did, but I'm still not happy with you. Regardless of whether you were drunk or not, Emmett was my boyfriend, even if I didn't really like him. It's going to take me a while to forgive you, but if you can show me that I can trust you, then eventually, I will," I told her truthfully.

"Thank you, Bella, so, so much!" She grabbed me in a bear hug. "Hey, what was it that you wanted to tell me when you came to see me last night?" she asked.

"Um... I did notice that you were gone. I just wanted to check you were okay." I decided to lie; I didn't feel like sharing the truth.

"Oh..." She looked sad, like she felt _really_ bad about the whole Emmett thing, now. But Alice would never stay sad for long. "So, the beach? Seriously?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Thought a change of scene would do me good."

"Well, did you have a good day?"

"Yeah, it was... eventful." I thought about Jake. "Did you say you were there, too?"

"Yeah, Edward rang me and he was already there with Jasper, so I decided to head down."

Oh... Edward was there.

"Did you stay for long?" I asked.

"No," she told me. "I had a good chat with Edward about last night, and then Jasper gave me his keys so that I could wait for you, which is how I got in here, by the way..."

Things still seemed awkward between us and conversation stopped for a while, until Alice found a new subject to talk about.

"So... what's happening with you and Emmett now, then?" she asked.

"Well, you heard what I told him last night. I want nothing to do with him. I should probably go and make sure he knows this, though. I mean, this is Emmett. He's not the brightest spark, is he?"

"No." Alice laughed a small laugh, almost awkwardly.

Silence fell again, threatening to make the situation even more awkward, but Alice and I heard talking from outside and the door opened to let in Jasper, who was not alone. He had Edward with him, looking absolutely _hot_. His hair was still damp from the beach and was looking very dishevelled, the sun hitting the wettest parts and making that bronze color look gold. He had on a pair of board shorts and he was shirtless, showing me that tight, muscular torso that I had wondered about ever since our meeting in his bathroom. And what I saw now confirmed what my imagination had always believed.

"Oh, hey, guys!" Alice practically shrieked at the pair of them, shocking Jasper, but not Edward, who was obviously used to his sister's high pitch and loud volume.

"Hey, Alice... Hi, Bella," Jasper said, lingering on Alice's name before he said my own and keeping his eyes on her the whole time. _Wait, did he like her now?_

Edward said a small hello to the both of us, but he didn't even say my name, let alone linger on it, and he didn't look at me at all.

Jasper was telling Alice that he and Edward were staying in for a couple of drinks, and then he would walk her home, if she wanted him to. Alice blushed like a beetroot and became shy all of sudden, reminding me of when she was ten and had a crush on our history teacher...

I was really happy about Edward staying, because I would get a proper chance to talk to him, but then Jasper dropped the bombshell, which seemed to affect no one else nut me.

"We're not gonna hang around drinking for long," he was telling Alice. "Edward has a date, you see, with Rosie. You met her last night, right?"

"Edward has a date?" Alice was in pure shock. "That's so great! And yeah, I did meet her last night..."

They continued their chatter, but I couldn't hear what they were saying because all I could think about was how stupid I was. Why had I let myself look at Edward in that way, when I had seen him kissing that Rosie girl last night? It was obvious that they would end up going on a date, and they would probably end up going steady, too... I felt the tears begin to well in my eyes and instantly felt that I had to get out of there.

"Guys, I have to go... I have to go and talk to Emmett about last night," I said to no one in particular, finding my excuse.

I didn't wait for a reply as I stormed out of the door, instantly realising that I was still in my beach wear and that my hair was still wet and looked like a mop...

* * *

**Please let me know what you thought!**


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